Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Martin Luther, considered by many to be the "father of the Protestant Reformation," also changed the way the world read the Bible.
Key Points:
- Martin Luther was a Catholic monk. He became concerned with the sale of indulgences by the Roman Catholic Church and nailed his now-famous 95 Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Holy Roman Empire (Germany) to protest the practice. His original intention was to criticize this practice, not to start a revolution. Indulgences, simply put, were the buying and selling of forgiveness of sins.
- The 95 Theses were soon copied from Latin into German, printed, and distributed across the Holy Roman Empire. In 1520, the Catholic Church excommunicated Luther for refusing to recant his views.
- Luther and his followers were declared outlaws by the Holy Roman Emperor. He spent a year in hiding at Wartburg Castle. During this time, he translated the New Testament (NT) into German. The Catholic Church had a longstanding practice of translating the Bible into Latin, which made it unreadable for common people.
- The Protestant movement eventually split off formally from the Catholic Church, and further splits occurred amongst these church Reformers. In 1534, Luther and others translated the Old Testament (OT) into German.
- The translation of the Bible from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek became a hallmark of the Protestant Reformation. Spanish, French, and English translations soon followed, and thanks to the invention of the printing press, the Bible became readable by common people.
Quote This
Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying, “Repent ye, etc.,” intended that the whole life of his believers on earth should be a constant penance. -Martin Luther, 95 Theses
Talk About It
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Do you attend a Protestant church, a Catholic church, or something else? Explain.
- Read 1 John 1:9. Do you think Luther was right to criticize the selling of indulgences? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Luther refused to recant his views and accepted the punishment of excommunication?
- Why was it revolutionary that the Bible was translated out of Latin and into German? In what ways do you think this shift affected the culture of the time?
- Why do you think different Protestant groups arose – even within the lifetime of Martin Luther himself?
- Overall, do you think Martin Luther’s protest was a good thing or a bad thing for the Christian Church? Explain.
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
